Shalom Friends;<\/p>\n
Our Parshat Toldos is being sponsored by Sender and Shoshana Schwartz and family (nowmypcworks@gmail.com<\/a>) of Ramat Beit Shemesh in honor of the recent engagement of their son Moshe to Devori Erhman. To the Schwartz family, many thanks for your sponsorship and for your continued kindnesses.<\/p>\n You can celebrate a Simcha \u2014 a birth, a Bar\/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShevua.<\/p>\n Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShevua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.<\/p>\n Best Regards,<\/p>\n Moshe Burt When Yaakov left his father’s home, fleeing from the possible wrath of Esav, we learn that his destination was Haran in Padan Aram, after a detour of fourteen years learning in the Yeshiva of Shem and Ever (citing Artscroll Stone Chumash page 144 attributed to “a fact that the Sages deduce from the chronology of the period.”).<\/p>\n The Artscroll Stone Chumash (page 144) cites Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky who explains:<\/p>\n He [Yaakov] would now be living in Haran among people who were Lavan’s comrades in dishonesty. To survive spiritually in such an environment, he needed the Torah of Shem and Ever, for they too had been forced to cope with corrosive surroundings: Shem… in the generation of the Flood [Mabul] and Ever had lived with those who built the Tower of Bavel [Migdal Bavel]. Yaakov’s fourteen years… [learning under Shem and Ever] made it possible for him to emerge spiritually from his personal exile.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In last week\u2019s Parsha Toldos, we learned about Rivka, who rose above an evil environment while internalizing it\u2019s insights, was thus well positioned to urge Yaakov to claim the Bracha, and we learned about Yaakov, the \u201cIsh Tam.\u201d <\/p>\n Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, in “Unlocking the Torah Text” on Parshat Chayei Sarah opines that: <\/p>\n Rivka emerges as the more perceptive parent. She alone sees their two children, Yaakov and Esav, for who they really are, and she alone acts with strength to perpetuate Avraham’s legacy through Yaakov. (Rav Goldin citing Sefer Breish’t , Perek 27, posukim 1-46, Parshat Chayei Sarah)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n We learn that from her pregnancy struggles — the two nations within her, to the birth of Yaakov and Esav, to the divergent life directions of both sons, Rivka brings great insight to her decision to instruct Yaakov to present himself to his father as if Esav. <\/p>\n We learn that Yaakov was \u201ctotally honest, a man of great integrity\u201d but was also master over the trait of being \u201ctam\u201d, a \u201c\u2018plain man\u2019, \u2026 without trickery (Rashi commentary on Sefer Breish’t, Perek 25, posuk 27) . This means that Yaakov did not allow this \u201cIsh Tam\u201d character trait to dominate him. He knew when and where to act otherwise. We knew that from his demand for the birthright from Esav in exchange for the lentil soup. These traits surely seem to have been inculcated to Yaakov as a result of Rivka Imeinu\u2019s nurturing. We later learned that when Yaakov introduced himself to Rachel upon removing the stone from atop of the well, he told her (citing of Sefer Breish\u2019t Perek 29, posuk 12 as rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Chumash):<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026He[Yaakov] was her father\u2019s relative.” <\/p><\/blockquote>\n Artscroll Stone Chumash provides a commentary on Sefer Breish\u2019t Perek 29, posuk 12: <\/p>\n \u201c\u2026He was her father\u2019s relative.” [literally, brother] In addition to the plain meaning that Yaakov introduced himself to Rachel as her relative, Rashi cites the midrashic interpretation; He [Yaakov] intimated that should Lavan try to cheat him, he could defend himself as being Lavan’s brother in deceit; but if Lavan dealt honorably, Yaakov would act with all of the integrity expected of the son of Rivka. Or HaChaim elaborates that Yaakov was surely not threatening to match Lavan’s thievery. Rather, he meant to say that he would defend himself strenuously, but only within the law.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “The Sapirstein Edition: The Torah with Rashi” provides this more blunt rendering of Sefer Breish\u2019t Perek 29, posuk 12 and commentary: <\/p>\n \u201c\u2026He [Yaakov] was her father\u2019s brother.”<\/p>\n It’s midrashic interpretation is: If he comes for deceit, I, too am his brother in deceit; but if he is a decent person, I am also the son of Rivka, his decent sister.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So, we learn about Lavan who ran to greet Yaakov, hugging and kissing him and bringing him to his house. We see that while Lavan appeared extremely loving and warm, he was not acting out of brotherly, familial love when embracing Yaakov. Rashi indicates that Lavan was knivving, expecting a rerun of the gifts showered upon his family by Eliezer when he came to acquire Rifka as Yitzchak\u2019s Shidduch, and instead saw an empty-handed Yaakov and subjected him to a full-body grope searching for goodies. Maybe there was gold under them thare garments, or maybe Yaakov was hiding diamonds in his mouth. (Summarizing Rashi’s commentary on Sefer Breish’t, Perek 29, posuk 13)<\/p>\n Rav Pliskin in \u201cGrowth Through Torah\u201d on our Parsha Vayeitzei, (page 76) expresses the importance of judging people favorably. But he then goes on to quote Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz who says that \u201cif someone is an evil person we are obligated to judge him unfavorably. Some people may find this rather harsh, but that is the reality: with evil people assume the worst.” (cited from Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz; Daas Torah: Breish\u2019t, page. 192) <\/p>\n Rav Pliskin continues ( \u201cGrowth Through Torah\u201d on our Parsha Vayeitzei, page 76):<\/p>\n We need to master the ability of seeing the good in the bad and the bad in the good. Then we need to know when to use each ability. Judging an evil person on the side of merit is not a virtue but a fault. Failure to be on guard to protect yourself from a deceitful person can cause you and others much damage and heartache.\u2026 The way of the Torah is to use wisdom to know when to assume negative motivations and when to judge others favorably.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n While Rav Pliskin says that it\u2019s unfortunate:<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026That many people fail to judge others favorably when they really should\u201d, he also says that the opposite, the tendency \u201c\u2026of believing everyone is considered \u2026 to be the attribute of a fool.\u201d (ibid. page 76)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And so, it seems that there is this attribute judging and distinguishing the \u201cgood in the bad\u201d favorably and the \u201cbad in the good\u201d negatively. This attribute would seem to go hand-in-hand with applying one\u2019s own positive and negative attributes at the appropriate times, i.e., compassion to the compassionate and cruelty to the evil. The attribute of distinguishing good from evil, when to be compassionate and when cruelty is necessary, is to understand the impact of the message; compassion or cruelty.<\/p>\n
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